Grain buyers list quality parameters for suppliers

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Grain processors have outlined their demands to suppliers as far as the quality of grains is concerned.

This was during the Meet the Buyer /Seller Symposium organised by the Grain Council of Uganda with support from the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank on Wednesday, August 20, at Four Points Hotel in Kampala.

Humphrey Mutaasa, the Chief Technical Advisor of the Grain Council of Uganda & Senior Consultant with IFC of the World Bank, explained that the symposium was aimed at getting suppliers of certified grains and buyers together to agree on how to increase the uptake of processed grains in the country.

“There has been an outcry from society that there is no quality maize in the country. So, we had to bring suppliers of certified and clean grain and have attained a Q mark to speak with the buyers of certified grains, sign contracts and grow the business of trading certified grains in the country,” Mutaasa explained.

What do buyers want from grain suppliers?

According to Aga Sekalala Jr, the proprietor of Ugachick Poultry Breeders, who buys 15,000 metric tons of maize annually, buyers want grains that have acceptable moisture content, free from debris, stones, metals, not mouldy and aflatoxin-free.

And to ensure these parameters are met, he said that at the individual level, they have invested in laboratories and other quality checks that are enforced upon delivery of the sourced grains.

He added that although they are not keen on certified grains, once what is delivered by their tests passes, such grains are paid for.

“We test for aflatoxins, if it has higher aflatoxins or any of the ingredients that are on our checklist, we reject because we don’t want to feed our chicken or mixed chicken feeds with maize that has aflatoxin because this can easily get to the consumer through the chicken meat, eggs or the feeds we sell,” Sekalala explained.

He also welcomed the idea of certifying grains, adding that this should start from the gardens to address the circumstances under which maize should be harvested, dried or even stored before it can be supplied.

“Specifically, for myself, we are not looking specifically for certified grains but have certain quality parameters, so it’s important that we communicate our quality parameters to aggregators for purposes of knowing what we want,” Sekalala said.

Some of the grains that are demanded by Ugachick annually are maize and soybean grains, which are used to process chicken feeds, but also to feed the chickens on the farm.

Geofrey Mukama, the technical sales manager for Koudijs Uganda, said that once they start processing animal feeds from Uganda, they will need 200,000 metric tons of maize annually to feed the manufacturing plant, set to open in September.

He, however, emphasised that poor quality grains will not be tolerated.

“This meeting would have come earlier than September because all the 5000 metric tons of maize grain that were supplied were rejected. We set specifications and samples passed the test, but the delivery was different,” he said.

Mukama added that he was sure of getting quality grains going forward.

“I met someone who has been supplying people who are close to what we want. And they will supply us and many others we met. I am hopeful that quality gain will not be a problem for our production lines any more. We are sure that we shall get the quantities that we need,” Mukama added.

While some buyers have been battling with quality and quantity issues, others have been battling unnecessary price hikes.

Alex Mbonigaba, the Country manager from Kafiika animal feeds, said that because they have been buying maize grain from third parties, the prices were higher and unstable, and the maize was coming from different sources, which made it costly to get clean maize from all the suppliers.

“We are going to benefit in two ways. To cut costs on maize and avoid contamination, which happens whenever we buy maize from different third-party suppliers. This will ensure the safety of the livestock. When we buy from actual owners, we are sure of reducing the risk of aflatoxin contamination, which reduces the expenses incurred by farmers when treating livestock due to bad feeds,” Mbonigaba explained.

Isaac Arimpa, the procurement manager at Tunga Nutrition Uganda, was surprised that they had been overpaying for a kilo of grains compared to other buyers due to third-party engagement.

He said that through the symposium, he met the actual suppliers.

“We have been interacting with third parties. I thank the Grain Council for allowing us to meet the real owners of the grains. The discovery was that we have been overpaying, because everyone I have interacted with has been paying a lower price, lower than what I have been paying. We have been struggling to meet suppliers of quality maize, but from today, I will be reaching out to owners and not third parties,” Arimpa added.

Moses Musasizi, a director at Agro Stores based in Mubende, appealed to investors for grain dryers to be able to dry maize to the moisture content that is required by buyers.

He explained that the only drying facility that was installed by the late Aponye is overcrowded and may not cater for the needs of smallholder grain suppliers.

“Our need is a common user facility in Mubende; We need investors to establish grain dryers in our area, which is Mubende,” Musasizi added.

What else needs to be done?

However, for buyers and suppliers to meet the quality of grains that is needed, they will have to recognise and meet the quality as per the East African Quality Maize Standard.

According to Hans Shrader from the International Finance Corporation and Lead Advisor on maize markets in Uganda, because Uganda produces a great deal of maize and supplies the East African community, quality should be prioritised.

“Our concern is that if we can address the quality that meets Ugandan and East African Quality Standards, people will have better nutrition, and there will be better access to East African Markets. In the process, more investors will be attracted to Uganda’s grain sector,” he said.

Efforts to streamline grain trade in Uganda

Particia Bageine Ejalu, the Deputy Executive Director of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, explained that the meeting was aimed at making both buyers and sellers understand the need for quality grains along the value chain. That will streamline, especially, the cross-border trade of grain, hence reducing the number of rejects.